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Have you seen a TG-related news story online or in your local paper? Send it in to TGF and become a News Hawk! Don't assume we know everything that's out there, because you are our eyes and ears. To file a story, send it in to Cindy.

"Homosexual Jesus" Raises Eyebrows

Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
via Reuters
July 22, 1998

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - A photography exhibition depicting Jesus as a homosexual in black stiletto heels surrounded by leather-clad musclemen and transvestites has ruffled a few feathers among usually broadminded Swedes. The show, part of this week's Europride 1998, an annual gay and lesbian festival, has inspired many protest letters to Swedish newspapers and prompted a Pentecostal church in the south of the country to call for the police to step in.

Swedish artist Elisabeth Ohlson, mastermind of the "Ecce Homo" (Behold Man) exhibition, was unperturbed. "My aim is to show a loving God. One who loves, above all, when there is love," Ohlson told the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. A spokesman for Stockholm's Sofia Church, where it is being held, said there had been a lot of interest in the show, which has become the most controversial event of Europride. But the dozen or so life-sized color photographs proved too much for the Pilgrims' People church in Skane.

The church, which reported Ohlson to the police, says the photographs, depicting Jesus as a gay man or as an AIDS victim, were a perversion of the Christian message and "gave militant homosexuals legitimacy in their struggle against Christians." A Swedish judge ruled that no action would be taken because the photos were artistic expressions and there was no evidence they were intended as contempt for Christians.

DRAG QUEENS AT THE LAST SUPPER

The week-long exhibition has attracted many of the 20,000 people visiting the Swedish capital as it hosts Europride for the first time in its role as 1998 Cultural Capital of Europe. One photograph mimics Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" with the 12 apostles replaced by transvestites, one in redthigh-high boots. One shows Jesus, arms extended to the sky, as muscular men in black leather and chains kneel at his feet. The immaculate conception is the subject for a work with Mary, the mother of Jesus, portrayed as a lesbian being handed a test tube, presumably for artificial insemination, by an angel.

Controversy was inevitable but Ohlson had not expected the police to be involved. "I didn't think that those who would be provoked would care that much," she said. Sweden is generally very tolerant of homosexuality, which was decriminalized half a century ago. In 1995 Sweden became the third country in the world to introduce a partnership law that gives registered homosexuals the same legal rights as other married couples. Similar laws exist in Norway, Denmark, Iceland and the Netherlands. Since the law was enacted in Sweden, about 900 men and 400 women have registered. One of Sweden's most high-profile same-sex marriages was between singer Eva Dahlgren, who is taking part in Europride, and former model Efva Attling, who was once married to a man. "Prejudices against us still exist and I struggle every day to break them," Attling said in an interview in the Europride 1998 brochure. "Homosexuals from all of Sweden who haven't come out can blend into this festival in a natural way."

LIBERAL SWEDEN -- PARADISE OR NOT?

Although Swedish law is progressive regarding homosexual rights, the gay community is campaigning to legalize adoption by single-sex couples and to overturn a 1987 law, passed amid fear of AIDS, which outlawed gay saunas. Activist Dick Erixon, who is running in Sweden's September general election, blames a resurgence of old-fashioned, conservative values for current bias against homosexuals. A poll of MPs, published this week by Sweden's Federation for Gay and Lesbian Rights, found only three of the seven parties in parliament were positive toward gay rights. "Leading Swedish MPs with Victorian attitudes have come to the surface. There is a lot of backlash right now and it would be very difficult to change these laws," Erixon told Reuters. Festival organizers are well aware of the prejudices that remain in Sweden toward gays and have warned visitors to be wary of possible trouble on the city's streets.

Extra security has been lined up for the final day of Europride when Israeli transsexual singer Dana International, winner of this year's Eurovision song contest, will be the star attraction. "There have been death threats against Dana International from Israel but not from Sweden. We will have extra security but we don't expect anything," a Europride spokesman said. The week's events also include a film festival, a men-only beauty contest to crown Miss EuroPride '98 after evening gown, swimsuit and talent contests, and a street parade.

Enterertainer Sees How Other Side Lives

Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
via AAP
July 21, 1998

SYDNEY, July 21 AAP - Australian entertainer Tim Ferguson jokes that one of his sons is booked in for therapy next century as a result of his latest job. Ferguson hits the boards as Frank 'N' Furter in the new stage production of The New Rocky Horror Picture Show and admits his cross-dressing habits have caused his family some concern. He says his wife and three sons are "a little confused" by the sight of him parading around in ladies' underwear but they appear to be adapting well. "The three-year-old's coping because he just figures dad's dressing up like a girl, just like he does," Ferguson said. "But the nine-year-old has been booked in for therapy in 2010, and apart from all my sons wearing high heeled shoes at the moment, we haven't noticed any side effects."

Ferguson concedes he has long harboured a secret desire to play the transvestite in the cult stage show, which is this year celebrating its 25th anniversary. He says his dream of one day donning fishnet stockings, stilettos and not much else stems from his early days of singing in front of the bathroom mirror. "I've wanted to do this for a long time, just never had time to do it. This year, when they gave me a bell, I thought 'Yeah, let's go live' and here I am," he said. Ferguson says he spent six weeks mastering the art of walking in heels and now has a brand new appreciation for the opposite sex. "I spent six weeks thumping around in these little babies (shoes) and gradually working out that women sacrifice a lot for the art of making themselves look good," he said.

Return of the CDA?

Contributed by Rachelle Austin
via Reuters
July 21, 1998

Internet censorship, struck down in a series of court decisions, has reared its head again in two riders to a Commerce Department appropriations bill which the U.S. Senate approved without debate by voice vote on July 21. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is part of a coalition actively opposing the measures.

One amendment introduced by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) would make Federal Communications Commission subsidies to schools and libraries for Internet participation -- known as "e-rates" and potentially worth a total of more than $1-billion -- dependent on their use of filtering software to restrict access for those under age 17 to "indecent" materials. The use of software filters to block "pornographic" sites has invariably also restricted access to some materials about homosexuality and AIDS, sometimes even on sites specifically designed for use by teens. At the trial court level, efforts to impose software filtering on library patrons have been struck down in several cases. In a press statement, McCain said, "Children should not be allowed to enter school or a public library and gain access to material that their parents would never allow them to see, and that most in society believe is inappropriate for those who are not yet adults."

The other measure, introduced by Senator Dan Coats (R-IN), targets "commercial" web site operators for up to six months in jail and fines of up to $50,000 for allowing people under age 17 to access materials "harmful to minors." Those are defined as any communication, image or writing containing nudity or actual or simulated sex acts which "lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific" value.

To its opponents, that sounds suspiciously like the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court on grounds of being overly vague and infringing adults' free speech rights. Coats believes his measure is narrow enough to pass the courts' scrutiny, but the American Civil Liberties Union is among those groups which believe it's essentially identical to the CDA.

A Senate vote is expected on the main legislation today, but the House has yet to act on its version, which does not contain the censorship amendments. Unless the same changes are made and approved in the House, the censorship measures will have their fate decided in a House-Senate conference committee.

Anti-Gay Ad Draws Fire

Contributed by Rachelle Austin
via Reuters
July 14, 1998

WASHINGTON - A full-page newspaper advertisement by conservative Christian groups on Monday that said homosexuals could ``overcome'' their sexual identity by accepting God sparked outrage among gay rights supporters.

The Christian Coalition and other conservative groups took out the advertisement in the New York Times. It is to be followed by similar displays in the Washington Post and USA Today later this week.

The advertisement features the testimony of Anne Paulk, a self-described ``wife, mother and former lesbian'', who says she was able to change her identity through a commitment to religion.

``Leaving homosexuality was the hardest thing I've ever had to do,'' Paulk says in the advertisement.

``As I grew in my relationship with God, I knew He had changed me forever. Gone was the hardness. Gone was the hurt. And gone was the shrill cry inside, replaced by God's still, small voice,'' the advertisement quotes her as saying.

Tracey Canaty of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said her organization viewed the advertising campaign as a new attack on homosexuality.

``The bigotry, hatred and intolerance that this ad represents is the real perversion,'' she said.

Homosexuality has recently become a hot political issue after Republican Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott compared it to alcoholism, sex addition and kleptomania.

Asked in a television interview if he believed homosexuality was a sin, Lott replied, ``It is.''

Barricaded TG
Dies In Siege

Contributed by Elizabeth Parker
via Reuters
July 15, 1998

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. - A 13-hour siege at a house booby-trapped with pipe bombs ended Wednesday when police found a man thought to be holed up inside dressed in women's clothing and dead on the floor. The bizarre standoff in a quiet residential area in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Pembroke Pines began at 2:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday when police and fire crews were called to douse a fire in a pickup truck outside the home, authorities said. When police looked into the house, they believed they saw the body of a dog on the living room floor, and nearby the body of a woman. Special weapons teams surrounded the house, thinking the homeowner, who was well known to police, was still inside. They had been called to his home 14 times in the past 10 years. Small explosions were heard inside the home, leading police to believe the man was either firing a weapon or setting off explosives. Neighbors were evacuated and SWAT officers entered the house and spent hours going through it room by room, ignoring the bodies of the dog and the woman as they cautiously searched for explosives and the resident, police said.

They found at least a dozen explosive devices from the ground floor to the attic, including pipe bombs and others fashioned from gasoline, some attached to timers. "There were explosive devices placed within that residence ... that could have caused grave bodily injury," SWAT team Sgt. Brad Ostroff told reporters. When the home was finally cleared about 13 hours after the siege began, officers took a closer look at the body and found it was a man, dressed in a "cowgirl" outfit. Neighbors said cross-dressing was not unusual for the homeowner, whom police identified as Thomas Whelan, 42. "I'm glad he's gone. He was very troubled," said neighbor Olga Hidalgo. "He use to dress up like a woman, put makeup on and drive by. He tried to hit my husband with a two-by-four." The victim, who had a massive chest wound, was thought to be Whelan, police said, but a positive identification was pending.

"Southerners on New Ground"
People of Color
LGBT Leadership Retreat '98

via NGTLF
July 14, 1998

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

It's our pleasure to tell you that our second annual SONG People of Color LGBT Leadership Retreat will be held August 14th though 16th at the Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, Arkansas which will bring together lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders of color from across the South.

Part of the work of SONG, now in our 5th year, is to hold retreats for lesbigaytrans organizers and cultural workers to talk about their lives and work and how to expand our organizing work and cultural work for social justice. Our goal is to help shift work against racism, sexism and economic injustice into lesbigaytrans organizing and to integrate work against homophobia into freedom struggles in the South.

This People of Color LGBT Leadership Retreat will embrace ethnicities and communities of color for a time of work, developing strategies, networking and socializing. Much of the work is about sharing our truths and building bridges that connect our fragmented communities. And all of the work is about working together to create a movement that cuts across issues and creates a world where all of us know justice and can live our lives in peace with freedom and equality.

Please share this information with other lesbigaytrans organizers and cultural workers of Asian, Pacific Islander, Latin, Native, Middle Eastern and African descent who may want to attend.

Participation is limited to 33. We hope you are able to join us. You can e-mail us back the Application Form.

In the Struggle,
Mandy Carter, Coordinator
POC LGBT Retreat '981
(919) 682-8094

Aida Rentas, Co-Coordinator
POC LGBT Retreat '98

Vernon Stokay,
SONG Board Member

For more information:
E-mail: MandyC1997@aol.com

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